Hi all

Im trying to put together a 28 day trip to Sturgis , Milwaukee, Chicago, and Route 66 back to LA for 2012 and I would like to hear from anyone who has done any of the above .

I was looking at guided tours but the are a bit out of my budget so Im planining to do it with 3 good mates and we dont want  to be to rigid in our planning .

You know ( ITS THE JOURNEY NOT THE DESTINATION)

any advice will be appreciated

Thanks Doc

 

Thanks Macka

 this is one of the options we looked at but Renting from LA is the prefered option at this stage.

thanks Red

did u go in a group or just by yourself where did u stay (motels or camp ) and did you prebook  or just wing it. The bigest problem Im having is working out realistic travel times and accomadation.We would like to camp some nights but theres not much info  on camping online.We want to get as much in as possable without rushing and missing out on stuff.I looked at the Heavey Duty tour but its very pricey and I thought it would be better to just wing it a bit and just take it as it comes

 

Best part about winging it is that you don't have to try and keep a schedule that revolves around accommodation that's pre booked.

Pre booked is also overpriced compared to what ya pay on the spot.

Just before the end of the day, pick a place to stay and cruise the main street, look for the Vacancy/No Vacancy signs then go back and book in to the one ya like. If ya do this about 4 to 5 PM ya beat the stragglers and then gives ya time to go for a cruise round town to check out bars and eating places.

Found that most places to stay the night wern't even on the inet let alone listed for pre-booking.

There's a shit load of things that just happen as you get there, and not having to be at a certain place at a certain time makes it all so much easier.

Plenty of motels in every town, and at that time of year all you need is a small tent and sleeping bag, or a swag, if ya can't find one.

Plenty of camping grounds both comercial and national parks.

Also found that when covering a lot of miles weather can play a part in which direction ya wanna go, so the flexibility to change routes is good.

Who wants to ride through a thunderstorm when ya can go around it.

Don't worry too much about lugging camping gear with you from here, it's cheaper than shit at any Target, Kmart, Easybuy or miriad of Walmarts along the way. For that matter, so be the case with clothing, luggage and anything else you might need along the way.

Next trip we do we won't be taking anything with us, gunna pick up what we want along the way and poke it all into a nice piece of cruiser luggage that we'll buy there.

The stores and vendors in Deadwood, Sturgis and Howlett practically give it away compared to the prices we are used to being slugged.

 

And hey Doc, ya sig says it all.

 

Forgot, we found that while at Sturgis, camping at Buffalo Chip was the best value. Find a spot down by the little lake in the scrub and pitch a tent. Only a five minute stroll away from the night entertainment, dunnies and vendors. There's enough goes on there to keep ya busy for two or three nights, specially if ya check the entertainment list and pick the right nights. Gear was safe left there during the day while cruising up to the main street and whatever.

Hey thanks Rider thats exactly the info I was after I realy dont want to be tied down to much . Sounds great thanks

When I go away I always wing it, also you have a much better time than you would if you run to a timetable.

As for accomodation in the US it can be as cheap as you want or as expensive as you want it to be.

Have to agree those US fuel pumps are a pain in the arse,  but the fuel is cheap thats a plus :-)

Would be great if travelling around Australia was cheap but its way over priced.

Thank for your info at this stage the plan is 10 days LA to sturgis 5 days to Chicargo via milwalkie and14 days for route 66 including Vegas does this sound about right

Thanks Guys

Im waiting for a decent map so that I can work it all out better but the general idear will stay the same .As for starting and ending in LA i did this for 2 reasons one was bike hire (I wasnt shore about hireing in LA and taking it back toSan Fran ) and the other  is because I have a basic knoledge of LA and Orange County but Iv never spent any time in San Fran other  that at the airport.

I can stretch the holiday out to 6 weeks if I need to so maybe I should look at that .With some of the accomadation prices ive found on here it is going to be cheeper than I thought so maybe taking longer is a option. Thanks again guys any advice  is great

when you get there check at rest area's on the highway and at McDonald's as they have coupon books for deals on accommodation

Hi Doc. l planed to go with a few mates. but there falling by the way side,,,, I put together a plan, take a look and see what you think if your interested in joining up .. l was planning on leaving August 1 and getting back about the end on the month

http://billusatour.homestead.com/Start.html

Regards Uncle bill